Communities In Schools is the largest provider of campus-based behavioral health services in Texas. We recognize that early intervention prevents emerging issues from manifesting into serious concerns and crisis. Our licensed mental health clinicians provide treatment to students directly in schools, right where the students are, creating equitable access to the early intervention services necessary to meet the rising unmet mental health needs of children. Please see below to learn more about our mental health services.
Providing Students Access to Mental Health
Project Access
The Project Access program is Communities In Schools of San Antonio’s most established clinical program. The Project Access program was originally developed in 2005 and its purpose is to provide short-term (8-10 sessions) intensive counseling services to students (and their families) who are enrolled in CIS-SA as a case-managed students at their school. The goal of the Project Access program is to bring counseling services to the students at their school because many of the families we work with have a difficult time accessing outside counseling services due to money, transportation, and/or time limitations. Our Project Access staff currently serves students in the following San Antonio area school districts: San Antonio ISD, South San ISD, East Central ISD, Harlandale ISD, Judson ISD, Southwest ISD, Pearsall ISD, Northeast ISD, Northside ISD, & Somerset ISD. In 2020 we introduced Devine ISD to Communities In Schools of San Antonio through our Devine ISD Project Access program.
Schools: All schools with a CIS Site Coordinator
Funder: Methodist, Baptist, North East ISD, Northside ISD, Harlandale ISD, Family Service Association, AACOG, Devine ISD & Tres Grace
SEEDS Program
The SEEDS Program is a clinical program developed in 2018 that provides mental health services to campuses in Northside ISD & North East ISD. The SEEDS program comprises licensed mental health professional teams who serve students from select high school feeder patterns in each district. Each team is made up of a counselor and a social worker who typically provide services to about seven elementary schools, two middle schools, and a single high school. The counselor for each feeder pattern provides intensive counseling services to students referred by the district’s Point of Contact personnel at each school in the feeder pattern. The social worker for each feeder pattern provides ongoing case management and supportive guidance services to the referred students and any necessary aftercare to the students and their families once counseling services have ended.
Schools: NISD – All 11 HS feeder patterns. NEISD – Churchill HS, MacArthur HS & Madison HS Feeders
Funder: North East ISD & Northside ISD
Metro Health – Domestic Violence Program
The Metro Health – Domestic Violence Program is our clinical program dedicated to providing counseling and mental health support to students (and their families) who have been affected by domestic violence. This program was developed in 2020 in collaboration with the City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District agency and supports students across three San Antonio area school districts (Northside ISD, San Antonio ISD, and Judson ISD). Our Clinical Caseworkers dedicated to this program can provide counseling services to schools that may not have a CIS-SA Site Coordinator assigned to their campus.
Schools: All schools in NISD, NEISD, SAISD, and East Central ISD
Funder: COSA – Metro Health
Supporting Family Mental Health
The Parent and Child Emotional Wellness Program (PACE Wellness)
PACE Wellness was developed in 2020 and provides mental health services to select Head Start campuses in San Antonio ISD. The PACE Wellness program is made up of licensed mental health professional teams who serve students from select high school feeder patterns in each district. Each team is made up of a counselor and a social worker who typically provide services to about seven elementary schools, two middle schools, and a single high school. The counselor for each feeder pattern provides intensive counseling services to students referred by the district’s Point of Contact personnel at each of the schools in the feeder pattern. The social worker for each feeder pattern provides ongoing case management and supportive guidance services to the referred students and any necessary aftercare to the students and their families once counseling services have ended.
Schools: Arnold ES, Bowden Academy, Carroll ECE, Carvajal ES, De Zavala ES, Foster Academy, Gonzales ECE, Graebner ES, Hirsch ES, Huppertz ES, JT Brackenridge ES, Sarah King ES, Knox ECE, Madison ES, Maverick ES, Neal ES, Nelson ECE, Schenck ES, Tynan ECE
Funder: SAISD
Supporting School Staff Mental Health
The Basecampus Program
The Basecampus program was developed in 2018 and is dedicated to working with adult educators in select Northeast ISD schools. The program aims to educate and support educators to ensure they can prevent and/or identify warning signs of mental health issues in students. This program is run by a licensed mental health professional who coaches and educates school personnel about the various mental health and social challenges their students may be facing. Through one-on-one and small group coaching activities, monthly mental health-themed workshops, and staff self-care activities, the Basecampus Coach attempts to broaden a school’s support system to help meet the mental health needs of the students on their campus. This project collaborates between CIS, Clarity Child Guidance Center, and NEISD.
Schools: East Central High School & CAST Lead
Funder: H.E. Butt Family Foundation
Supporting Teen Parents
Metro Health – Teen Parenting Program
The Metro Health – Teen Parent Program is our clinical program dedicated to providing counseling and mental health support to pregnant and/or parenting teenagers across four San Antonio area school districts. This program was developed in 2017 in collaboration with the City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District agency. Our Clinical Caseworkers dedicated to this program can provide counseling services to schools that may not have a CIS-SA Site Coordinator assigned to their campus. The purpose of the Metro Health Clinical program is to reduce the repeat pregnancy rate in the teenage youth of San Antonio.
Schools: All schools in NISD, EISD, SAISD, South San ISD, and Southwest ISD
Funder: COSA – Metro Health
For most mental health services, students and families are screened and referred by the CIS-SA Site Coordinator to a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). The LPC completes a psychosocial assessment with parents/guardians and with each student, develops a treatment plan, provides individual and/or family counseling, and coordinates other support services.
Additionally, CIS-SA is currently working with The Ecumenical Center and The Institute for Trauma-Informed Care to become a trauma-informed certified agency. CIS-SA will implement change that promotes the understanding of trauma, its impact, and sign and symptoms as well as promotes trauma resilience and recovery to avoid re-traumatization. CIS-SA will do this by creating a trauma certification team, following an implementation model and the 5 domains set out by The Ecumenical Center and The Institute for Trauma-Informed Care. CIS-SA will also survey their staff, clients, and stakeholders through this process.
Questions?
To learn more about our mental health programming, please contact Kim Sayers, Clinical Project Director, at ksayers@cissa.org.
